November 3, 2022 (1:00 PM) - As an agreement has not yet been reached between the provincial government and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), all RCDSB schools will be closed to in-person learning for students starting Friday, November 4th.
Unless an agreement is reached, asynchronous learning for RCDSB students will start tomorrow and continue to Monday, November 7th. Synchronous learning will begin on Tuesday, November 8th.
Students and parents/guardians may have already received information from their child's teacher, or can expect to receive the necessary learning materials and information by end of the day today.
A reminder that in-person learning will resume as soon as a deal is met between CUPE and the provincial government; that could take place at any time.
We will keep our school communities updated as soon as information becomes available to us.
Below are a few important reminders and FAQs for our school communities:
CUPE Strike FAQs
Q: If teachers and educational assistants are not impacted at the RCDSB, why can’t my child/children attend school in-person?
A: It would not be safe for our students. In order to keep our schools clean and safe, we rely heavily on all employees in our schools to perform many essential daily duties. With CUPE employees on strike, important tasks like attendance/safe schools protocols, classroom and facility cleaning, and water testing can not be completed.
Q: How will this affect my child's learning?
A: If a withdrawal of services occurs, all students at the RCDSB will move to remote learning starting Friday, November 4th. Should the strike persist past Friday November 4th, the RCDSB has current plans to continue with asynchronous learning for November 7th, and move to remote synchronous learning starting Tuesday, November 8th.
As this situation evolves, we will continue to keep parents/guardians informed as new information becomes available to us. Students may be moved back to in-person learning at any time should an agreement be met between the negotiating parties.
Q: Are extracurricular activities and school athletics still going to be happening for students?
A: No, at this time all extra-curricular activities will be paused.
Q: What happens if I drop my child off at school, or send them on the bus anyway?
A: Please do not send your children to school. RCDSB schools will not be running and staffed as usual during the labour action. For the safety of our students, parents/guardians will be contacted immediately and be required to pick their child/children up at the school.
Q: Will childcare centres and before and after school programs still be operating?
A: Childcare centres in our schools are not run directly by the RCDSB, and all have their own unique contracts with our schools. Please reach out to your childcare provider directly for details specific to your location.
Q: Why are the children of some of my neighbours and friends still attending school?
A: CUPE represents different employee groups in different school districts. Every district is impacted differently depending on how many employees and employee groups are represented by CUPE. At the RCDSB, CUPE represents secretaries, custodians, and members of the Facilities, Finance and ICT Departments.
Q: Are you still accepting Community Use of Schools permits?
A: No. All community use permits have been paused and no new permits will be issued at this time. Permit costs will be adjusted accordingly for automatic credit card payments.
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